FAQ
Minimum age
The minimum age is 18 for all FWQ events. No exceptions will be made. The cut-off date is May 31st of each year. A rider turning 18 years old before or on May 31st will compete on the FWQ Tour. A rider turning 18 on June 1st or after will still compete in FJT the following season.
Event Registration and category split
FWQ riders have to register online on the FWT website www.freerideworldtour.com for all FWQ events. Registrations will around 7 weeks prior to the event and will close around 4 weeks before the event.
For all FWQ 2*, 3* and 4* events, riders will be accepted bades on their current seeding list ranking. For FWQ 1* events, a first-come first-serve inscription system will be used.
Riders will receive a confirmation email that they are selected or not for the event they registered for. (4 weeks before the event). Riders can cancel their registration at any time and at no cost before the registration period finishes. Once registration closes, invited riders then have 3 days to cancel their inscription if they do not wish to compete. Past 3 days, credit cards will be debited and the rider will be inscribed and confirmed. If a rider cancel his registration, the next rider on the list (seeding list or date), who tried to register, will receive an email confirming that he has 3 days to cancel his registration. The same process will repeat itself until the event is full.
Depending on the number of spots available per event, an even percentage of riders who tried to register will be confirmed for the event. If a category has hardly enough registrations to have the minimum number of riders at the start, a higher percentage of riders from this category will be accepted.
If a category doesn’t reach the minimum number of registrations (for example 8 SNB W registered for 10 spots), the event organizer shall distribute the remaining spots to the other categories. If a category doesn’t reach a minimum of 4 registrations, the category is cancelled and the starting spots will be redistributed to the other categories (see chapter “Cancelled Categories”).
If the event is not full once the normal registration period ends, all registered riders will be invited and registrations will be re-opened. Riders inscribing during this period will be confirmed right away and credit cards will be debited immediately until the event is full. In that case, riders will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis and no longer according to the seeding list ranking.
FWQ License
In order to compete at one or all events, every rider, including Wildcards will have to acquire their yearly license. There are two different types of FWQ license:
FWQ one-event license: Region 1 (10 €), This license has to be purchased by riders who wish to compete in only one event per year. If a rider who purchased a one-event license wishes to compete in more events, he/she will have to upgrade to a season license (only paying the difference). This one-event license offers the following services: · Generating a unique number per athlete, avoiding spelling mistakes on starting lists and rankings. · Automated registration window for all FWQ events on FWT website. · Rider’s results in the seeding and ranking list.
FWQ season license: Region 1 (40 €), This license has to be purchased by riders who wish to compete in two or more events. This season license offers the following services: · Generating a unique number per athlete, avoiding spelling mistakes on starting lists and rankings. · Automated registration window for all FWQ events on FWT website. · Rider’s results in the seeding and ranking list.
FWQ Athlete evacuation insurance
We are using the FWQ evacuation insurance, all riders will have the obligation to purchase it. This insurance covers the costs of evacuation / snow patrol / ambulance / heli costs to hospital and back home if the private insurance of the rider doesn’t cover it.
The insurance will be included in the registration fee. This mandatory evacuation insurance also covers some medical costs, but each rider should carefully check that they have a personal medical insurance valid in all countries where they are competing and that they are covered in case of participation in an extreme freeride contest (should they need extensive local medical treatment in case they can’t be transported back home). In the disclaimers that each rider will have to sign when entering a contest, it will be mentioned that he has checked the above.
Wild Cards
There will be up to 5 wild cards per FWQ event. Three Wildcards for Open Faces and two for FWT Management.
These Wildcards are given to help us and FWT with special media or local needs. Wildcards can earn prize money and can be on the podium and will score FWQ points. Wildcards will still have to register online on the FWT website AND will have to purchase a FWQ license.
Mandatory Meeting
Riders Meeting are held the day before the competiton and are mandatory for all riders. It is mandatory for security reasons, as points such as snow conditions, potential closed areas in the face, access route tot he start, event schedule or potential additional mandatory safety gear (harness) are points which will be discussed during riders meeting.
Riders who cannot attend the riders meeting for valid reasons must announce themselves to the organizer to get their security speech and BIB number at some other time.
BIB DRAW
BIBs numbers will be drawn, either by hand during the riders meeting or by electronic random draw. If the second method is used, the BIB number could be handed to the riders during accreditations.
Das judging System
Die Judges werden einheitlich von der FWT geschult und geprüft. Der Headjudge wird von der FWT zu den Bewerben entsandt und fungiert zugleich als FWQ-Advisor. Er kontrolliert die Klassifizierung der Faces und überwacht den professionellen Ablauf des Contests, die Einhaltung der Sicherheitsstandards und das Judging. Dieses wurde in den letzten Jahren sensibilisiert, um das Risiko für Rider und Veranstalter zu minimieren.
Zum Beispiel werden nicht sicher gestandene Sprünge schlecht bewertet – nach dem Motto„no bonus for trying“. Eine füssige, clevere Linienwahl, eine gewisse Aggressivität und hohes technisches Können, in Verbindung mit kalkulierten Sprüngen und guten Landungen, bedeuten in den meisten Fällen Erfolg.
Die einzelnen Runs werden, getrennt nach Sportgerät (Ski oder Snowboard) von jeweils drei Judges und einem Headjudge bewertet. Somit besteht die Jury aus sieben Judges, die auf Grundlage des Gesamteindrucks einen Run mit Punkten zwischen 1,0 und 10,0 bewerten.
Der Run wird nach fünf unterschiedlichen Kriterien bewertet:
· Flüssigkeit des Runs (kein Zögern oder Warten vor den Take Off`s)
· Kontrolle (Tempo, Landungen, Gelände)
· Linienwahl (logische, kreative Linienwahl ohne allzu große Querungen)
· Technik (Ski- und Snowboardtechnik)
· Air & Style (Höhe der Sprünge, Landungen, Kontrolle in der Luft, Tricks, Schwierigkeit der Tricks angepasst an die Geländeformen)
Safety First
Vor und während des Events erfüllt die Sicherheitsabteilung von OPEN FACES, unter der Leitung von Markus Kogler, eine Vielzahl an Aufgaben. Neben dem Sichern der jeweiligen Hänge, die im Bewerb befahren werden, müssen die Zu- und Aufstiege zu Start- und Zielgelände begutachtet werden. Diese Arbeiten beginnen bereits im Herbst, auch der Schneedeckenaufbau wird im Laufe der Saison genau verfolgt.
Neben diesen Sicherungsmaßnahmen (Lawinensprengungen, Schneeprofilbewertungen, Spuranlagen, Erstellung eines lokalen Lawinenlageberichts LOLA, …) liegt auch die Planung der medizinischen Versorgung am Contesttag in den Händen der Sicherheitsabteilung. Bergführer, Bergrettung, Notärzte und Notarzthubschrauber werden im Vorfeld koordiniert und im Ernstfall zum Verletzten geleitet, um eine schnelle Versorgung zu gewährleisten. Bis zu 20 Personen stehen pro Event nur für den Bereich Sicherheit im Einsatz und sorgen für eine bestmögliche Vorsorge bei jeder Veranstaltung.
